Potato gathering machine



May 17, 1932. H. HOFFMEISTER I 1,858,708

POTATO GATHERING MACHINE Filed Aug. 8, 1929 I 4 Sheets-Sheet l May17, 1932. H. HOFFMEISTER 1,858,708

-POTATQ GATHERING MACHINE Filed Aug. 8. 1929 i 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 May 17, 1932. H. HOFFMEISTER POTATO GATHERING MACHINE Filed Aug. 8. 1929 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Pat nted May; 17, 1 932 .JOFFICE' i HERMANN HOFFMEISTER, or. xnnm-oirnns'rnnr, NEAR irannnnsran r, GERMANY roTA'ro GATHERING m mas Application filed August 8, 1929QSei-ial No. 384,336; and in Germany lune 24, 1929.

This inventionrelates to a machine for gathering potatoes, in which the elevator is raised in a particularly suitable manner from the platform of the machine and can be lowered into any suitable position. For this purpose the elevator is connected by the parts .mounted thereon to the rear axle, around which the control of the elevator is-elfected in that a worm actuates' a worm wheel through the'turning of a hand crank so that racks are'shifted, which are connected to,

slide blocks, which are mounted on the frame enclosing the elevating device and slide in guides, provided in the stationary carrying 1 frame of'the machine so that, according to the control ofthe slide blocks a gradual raising or lowering of the elevator occurs,

through which a very accurate adjustment ofthe penetration of the conveyer'bars into the earth can beeffected;

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 shows a top plan view and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 3 shows the .uppe'r'portion and Fig. 4 the lower portion oftheelevatoix' Fig. 5 shows the connection of an elevator bar with the link chains of the elevator.

Fig. 6 is a cross-section through the grid on line 4-4 of-Fig. 4. I 4

Fig. 7 shows the specific means for raising and lowering the elevator, disconnected from the rest of the structure.

which 3 are mounted on vertical to be swiveled in both directions through a steering rod 5. A drivers seat 63 is mounted on the front end of the frame 1. A top remover 6 is arranged behind the front axle and in operative position extends to within 5 cms. above the surface of the soil. The

potato tops are gripped by the. troughshaped, arrow-like top remover and pass along the two inclined side walls of the sam to be discharged on both sides of themachine. The .top remover is mounted on a rod -7 and adjustable in a guide 8 by means of a set screw 9. Y a

The machine consists of a frame 1, through i a rear axle 2 is inserted. Front wheels rods 4 and adapted wheel shaft 20. nected by means of two links 29 '(Fig. 2) with The elevator'for the potatoes consists of two inclined side walls 10 fastened to the rear axle 2 by struts 11'. Grid bars 12 standing on edge are arranged between the walls :10. These bars are connected at the upper 5 end by a shaft 13 andheld apart by spacing rings 14. Two stays 15"engage onthe shaft- I 13 and are fastened to the struts 11 (Fig. 2).

The grid bars are connected at their lower end by a shaft 16 (Fig. 4) and'held apart by spacing rings 14. The grid bars 12 termi-' nate each in a point sharpened to a knife edge on the lower end so that thegridcan easily. penetrate into the soil. ,The shafts 1 3 and 16 are journaled in the side walls 10. The shaft 16 is connected by two struts 17 (Fig. 2) to the struts 11 so that with the rising and falling movement of the front part of the gathering-de'vice the whole of these struts or stays 11, 15 and 17 carrying this device can oscillate around the rear axle 2.

The elevator is composedof' two link chains 18 passing over sprocket wheels 19 keyed on shafts 20. The innerichain links at certain intervals apart constitute "rests 21for rods22,;

' conveying bars 23 may in the inoperative posi- 'tion assume any position. As soon however as they come into contact-with the grid 12, they are forced by the offset-portions into a position approximately perpendicular to the rid, so that they push the dug potatoes in front of them up the grid until they dron at the end thereof onto-a jigging sieve 25 (Fig. 1) vibrated sideways by a crank 26 acting on a rod 27 movably fitted on the'jigging sieve x j 25. The crank 26 is driven by a pair of bevel wheels.28 and 28' from the upper sprocket The jigging sieve 25 is c0n-.

a rod'30 carried by the shaft'13. The jigging I sieve 25- rests on'a frame 31 in alignment with and connected to the struts 17. The delivery chute 32 for the potatoes falling from the jigging sieve extends from the frame 31; xHooks33 for suspending sacks are fastened on the frame .31. on downwardly exfrom the frame31 on which platform the worker stands for, attaching and removing the sacks. 1

The drive of the elevator is effected from the rear axle 2 bymeans of a sprocket wheel 5 36 and a chain 37' onto a sprocket wheel 38 keyed on the shaft 20. A clutch element 39 is connected to the sprocket Wheel 38, a counter clutch element '41 controlled by a spring 40 being adaptedto engageWith the clutch m element 38, This counterv clutch element 41 is capable of being disengaged from the clutch element 39 by a. lever 43 oscillatable around a -"pivot 42. "When travelling along a road the a lever 43 can be held in 'disengagedposition by a lock pin 44.

For lowering and raising the elevator stop rails 45, are fitted on the .outer side ofthe side walls and rest on dogs or stops 46 fixed on 2o slid-blocksfi, The blocks 47 slide-in guides 48 (Fig. 2) fixed on the frame 1. On each of the slideblocks47 a rack 49 is'bolted, with which'tooth wheels 50 engage. These tooth wheels 50 are mounted on a shaft 60 which is journallegd in brackets 60 on the frame 1 and carries on one side of the machine aiworm Wheel 51, meshing'with a worm or endless screw 52 actuated by the rotating of a rod 53 bymeans of a crank 54 and arranged in lugs 52 projecting from one of the brackets 60. According to the direction in which the worm "wheel 51 is rotated'the slideblocks 49 are displaced in their guides 48 in the one or other direction, so that the bars either rise or descend, whereby the desired depth at which the grid barslQ penetrate into the earth can be adJu'sted. f" Plates 56 mounted on the side walls 10 prevent thelink'chain 18 being soiled with earth. The arms of these plates may be adjusted by means of set screws.

The link chains 18 are tightened by means of stretching screws 57 (Fig. 2) Icla-im:-

. 45 In a potato gatheliiing machine, in combi-' nation w th the mac me frame and with the rear axle of the machine, an elevator displace- "able in relation to -said rear axle, slide blocks, a stop on each slide block, two stop rails on said frame-elevator resting on said stops, an endless screw mounted on said frame, a worm wheel engaging with said endless screw, racks meshing with said worm wheel adapted to f raise and lower s'aid elevator around said rear axle,-and-guides on 'said machine frame for said blocks.

' In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

' [HERMANN HOFFMEISTER. 

